Note: Like other plays we have dealt with, the construction of this play is unique and often challenging to readers. It generally works well on the stage but not so well in the study. So, the questions posed about the construction of the play do not easily follow Ball’s method of analysis. So, I have taken the liberty to change up some of the questions.
1. You may identify the stasis in the play but it isn’t necessarily at the beginning of the play. Where is it and who does it involve? NOTE: Do not assume that the stasis of the play is the same as the stasis of the video version that you are required to see. Only discuss the play in this and answers to the following questions.
Fires in the Mirror takes place following the events of the Crown Heights riots of August 1991. The riots were sparked by the deaths of Gavin Cato, a young black boy. According to reports, a police escorted car driven by a Jewish man struck and killed 7 year old Gavin Cato, who was playing on the sidewalk with his cousin. This prompted the response of Jewish ambulances, who attended to the driver and the Jewish passengers. However, little to no attention was paid to the dying Cato and his injured cousin. This quickly sparked outrage among African-Americans nearby. A few hours later, Yankel Rosenbaum, an Australian hasidic Jew, was beaten and stabbed by a group of African-American men. Rosenbaum would later die at the hospital. Both of these events stirred outrage in both sets of communities. Rioting would ensue over the next two days, with police trying to calm the situation.
2. Ball points out that the intrusion sometimes occurs late in the dramatic action. What is the intrusion that breaks the stasis in Fires in the MIrror and how is it broken?
The intrusion of this play is the monologue by Rabbi Spielman. Midway through the play, this is the first time that the audience is told what exactly caused the unrest among both communities and why they were at odds with each other.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor that is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place? Hint: the unique factor may have something to do with you? How does the title figure in your answer?
The way in which the play is written and performed, it is almost as if each and every character is talking directly to the audience. This is unique because it feels as if we are physically involved in the story. For every character, it is the first time in which we are hearing their views and opinions of what happened and the reactions that followed.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
Who is more at-fault for the deaths of these two innocent people? Could their deaths have been prevented? How do we repair the damaged relationship between these two marginalized groups of people? Will there ever be justice for either?
5. Use the narrator of the work to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, ie. The dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what these particular characters wants. The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles facing the narrator.
Each character in this play is fighting two conflicts: one with the opposing race and the other with him/herself. "Someone must be to blame. There must be justice". Some characters such as Al Sharpton, Mike Miller, and Minister Conrad Muhammad, have no problems taking sides. "The police are discriminating against the African-American community. The police are discriminating against the Jewish community". However, there are others in the play who are more grey in their views. Ms. Rosalyn Malamud, for example, makes it a point to say that you don't just kill 7 year old boys. This goes back to the heart of the piece. At the end of the day, a man lost his brother while another lost his son.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Fires in the Mirror.
Ntozake Shange smoking at the beginning of the play is a theatrical moment. The cigarette is illuminating her face while she sits, surrounded by darkness. Monique "Big Mo" Matthews rapping would also be a good example of a theatrical moment within the play. She's incorporating music in her performance. And Carmel Cato's monologue at the end of the play is a very strong and emotional theatrical moment. He is also alone, surrounded by darkness. He is disheveled and tired. You can truly feel his fatigue.
1. You may identify the stasis in the play but it isn’t necessarily at the beginning of the play. Where is it and who does it involve? NOTE: Do not assume that the stasis of the play is the same as the stasis of the video version that you are required to see. Only discuss the play in this and answers to the following questions.
Fires in the Mirror takes place following the events of the Crown Heights riots of August 1991. The riots were sparked by the deaths of Gavin Cato, a young black boy. According to reports, a police escorted car driven by a Jewish man struck and killed 7 year old Gavin Cato, who was playing on the sidewalk with his cousin. This prompted the response of Jewish ambulances, who attended to the driver and the Jewish passengers. However, little to no attention was paid to the dying Cato and his injured cousin. This quickly sparked outrage among African-Americans nearby. A few hours later, Yankel Rosenbaum, an Australian hasidic Jew, was beaten and stabbed by a group of African-American men. Rosenbaum would later die at the hospital. Both of these events stirred outrage in both sets of communities. Rioting would ensue over the next two days, with police trying to calm the situation.
2. Ball points out that the intrusion sometimes occurs late in the dramatic action. What is the intrusion that breaks the stasis in Fires in the MIrror and how is it broken?
The intrusion of this play is the monologue by Rabbi Spielman. Midway through the play, this is the first time that the audience is told what exactly caused the unrest among both communities and why they were at odds with each other.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor that is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place? Hint: the unique factor may have something to do with you? How does the title figure in your answer?
The way in which the play is written and performed, it is almost as if each and every character is talking directly to the audience. This is unique because it feels as if we are physically involved in the story. For every character, it is the first time in which we are hearing their views and opinions of what happened and the reactions that followed.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
Who is more at-fault for the deaths of these two innocent people? Could their deaths have been prevented? How do we repair the damaged relationship between these two marginalized groups of people? Will there ever be justice for either?
5. Use the narrator of the work to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, ie. The dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what these particular characters wants. The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles facing the narrator.
Each character in this play is fighting two conflicts: one with the opposing race and the other with him/herself. "Someone must be to blame. There must be justice". Some characters such as Al Sharpton, Mike Miller, and Minister Conrad Muhammad, have no problems taking sides. "The police are discriminating against the African-American community. The police are discriminating against the Jewish community". However, there are others in the play who are more grey in their views. Ms. Rosalyn Malamud, for example, makes it a point to say that you don't just kill 7 year old boys. This goes back to the heart of the piece. At the end of the day, a man lost his brother while another lost his son.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Fires in the Mirror.
Ntozake Shange smoking at the beginning of the play is a theatrical moment. The cigarette is illuminating her face while she sits, surrounded by darkness. Monique "Big Mo" Matthews rapping would also be a good example of a theatrical moment within the play. She's incorporating music in her performance. And Carmel Cato's monologue at the end of the play is a very strong and emotional theatrical moment. He is also alone, surrounded by darkness. He is disheveled and tired. You can truly feel his fatigue.